


Comfort and Joy

by WolfAndHound_Archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Family, First War with Voldemort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-06
Updated: 2016-02-06
Packaged: 2018-05-18 14:26:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5931703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfAndHound_Archivist/pseuds/WolfAndHound_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Remus discovers Sirius will be spending Christmas alone. With a little help from James and Lily, he's going to brighten Sirius' holiday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Comfort and Joy

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Lassenia, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Wolf and Hound](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Wolf_and_Hound), which was created to make stories posted to the Sirius_Black_and_Remus_Lupin Yahoo! mailing list easier to find. However, even though I still love the fandom, I am no longer active in it and do not have the time to maintain it. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in December 2015. I posted an announcement with Open Doors, but we may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on the [Wolf and Hound collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/wolfandhound/profile).

"He's what?!" Remus asked in alarm. He set his mug down quickly, hot butterbeer spilling over the rim and onto the table.

"Spending Christmas alone," James repeated. "He was supposed to go with his parents to visit his sister and her husband in Cornwall. But I guess he and his dad had a huge row this morning, so they Apparated without him."

Remus was shaking his head. "Why didn't he say anything to me?" He, Sirius, James, and Lily had been walking around Diagon Alley all day, enjoying the scenery as opposed to shopping, and Sirius had never mentioned it. In fact, he seemed to be in his usual high spirits. At that moment, Sirius was at a table across the way, chatting with two giggling, pink-cheeked girls. As if he could sense Remus' eyes on him, Sirius turned and gave Remus a look that clearly said, "Don't worry, there's only you." He smiled reassuringly back at Sirius, silently communicating that he knew that. Sirius often acted the part of the charming ladies' man, but Remus knew it was just an act, and had never felt even the slightest twinge of jealousy.

"He didn't say anything to any of us," Lily said. "Trina MacIver--she was in our year, works at Flourish and Blotts--told me about it. Happened right outside there this morning."

"Must have been just before we got there," James added.

Remus sighed heavily, looking into his mug. Sirius' relationship with his father was sticky business. There were times when Sirius got angry at just the mention of Darnell Black; other times, he pretended his father didn't exist. Christmas was tomorrow, and as it would usually take Sirius' mother a week to cajole father and son into speaking again, James was probably right on target with his assessment. His gaze drifted over to Sirius again. Memories of Christmases two years ago, and of the one four years before that moved to the front of Remus' mind. Those had been full moon Christmases, and he had spent the nights locked in the basement. He knew that it had had to be done, to protect others, but during the days, he was too exhausted to join in the festivities, and had spent the time lying in bed, staring at the ceiling.

"No." Remus raised his eyes, a determined light in them.

"No what?" James asked.

"No, I'm not going to let him spend Christmas alone. No one should be alone on the holidays," he finished with a whisper. "He's going to have a good Christmas, and you two are going to help me." A plan was forming at rapid speed in Remus' mind. He grabbed Lily's hand and yanked her to her feet. "Come on."

"Excuse me, but where are you going with my fiancee?"

"Shopping. You keep Sirius busy. Whatever you do, don't let him go home. I'll find you when it's safe." Remus pulled Lily out of the Three Broomsticks and in the direction of the shops.

A whirlwind thirty minutes later, arms heavy with bags, they stepped out of a shop with what Lily hoped was their final purchase. She'd thought that two purchases ago, but Remus kept seeing other things he needed. "Remus, I don't think I can carry much more," she said.

"Me neither. But that should do it. I--oh no!" Sirius and James were emerging from Quality Quidditch Supplies, right across the street from where he and Lily were standing. They had no time to hide. James looked up at just that moment and saw them. Remus frantically shook his head, silently begging James not to draw attention to him and Lily. Quickly, James spun Sirius back towards the window, apparently fascinated by the new model Shooting Star that was on display there.

Quickly, they ducked down the nearest alley. "You know where Sirius lives?" he asked. Lily nodded. "See you there then." Both of them Disapparated.

Remus Apparated onto the front lawn of the Blacks' home in Bath. He felt slightly disappointed he'd been aiming for the front stoop--but a few meters shy of his target wasn't too bad. Lily, former Head Girl that she was, had been spot on and was waiting at the front door.

"It has a password," Remus said as he approached. "Golden Knight." The door swung open to admit them.

The inside of the house was just as modest as the outside. Most of the furniture had been chosen for comfort over style, although the front parlor definitely was meant to be looked at and not touched. A few antique-looking pieces were scattered about. What struck the pair of them the most, though, was that nowhere were there signs that Christmas was around the corner. No trees, no garlands, nothing. "Well, they figured they weren't going to be here, so why bother decorating?" Lily said. They set their bags down in the front hall.

"Should tell my parents," Remus muttered. "I'm going to use the fireplace."

"What are we supposed to do with all this? Put it, I mean?" Lily asked.

"The tree is going to go in the parlor. I suppose we should put the rest of it in the kitchen, because it could get messy--what?"

Lily was staring at him. "Tree? What tree? We didn't get a tree."

Remus grinned broadly. "Oh yes we did." He pulled out a box containing a small, artificial fir tree, removed the tree, and put it on the parlor floor. It barely came up to Remus' knee. He took out his wand and pointed it at the tree. "Engorgio." Within seconds, the tree had grown to ceiling height. "One Christmas tree." Lily smiled and began moving parcels into the kitchen.

Remus elected to use the fireplace in Mr. Black's study. Even though he was out of school, his parents were still somewhat overprotective, and he didn't want Lily to see that. There was a mahogany box on the mantle, and Remus took a handful of powder and threw it in the fireplace. "Mum? Its Remus."

A few seconds later, a woman's face appeared in the flames. She had the same sandy hair as Remus, although it was streaked grey. "Remus, what is it? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothings wrong. I'm just, I'm going to be spending Christmas with Sirius," he finished hastily. "Mum, he's all alone."

"He's more than welcome to come here," Mrs. Lupin said.

Remus shook his head. "He wont. He doesn't want to be around people he doesn't know. James and Lily are going to the Evans, and thats already going to be tense enough--they're Muggles--and Peters family went on holiday in the Alps. I'm all Sirius has, Mum." Remus chose his words carefully. He was constantly afraid he was going to betray his real feelings for Sirius. His family could barely stand to be around him already, because of the wolf, even though it wasn't his fault. Falling in love with Sirius certainly wasn't his fault either, but he knew they wouldn't see it that way.

"Well, if its what you want to do," his mother sighed. "At least come by on Boxing Day. Both of you."

"Okay. Bye." Remus turned away and the fire extinguished itself. With every step toward the kitchen, Remus started to feel better. He grinned as he thought about how Sirius would react to the little surprise he had cooked up with Lilys help, of course. And James, who was doing his part to keep Sirius occupied. He pushed open the kitchen door, rolled up the sleeves of his robes, and proceeded to get down to work

# "Okay, James, whats really going on?" Sirius asked. For the last ninety minutes, James had dragged him all over Diagon Alley. He didn't buy that story James had handed him about Lily getting some last minute gift. He knew for a fact shed bought James gift over a month ago. It had been sitting in Sirius bedroom closet until yesterday. Because of James tendency to go snooping for his presents, Lily had decided that "not in their flat" was the best place to conceal the dragonhide boots.

"Going on? What makes you think somethings going on?" James asked.

"Because the last time you walked this slow was on the way to our History of Magic N.E.W.T," Sirius said. "Theres an ant with a chest cold and heavy shopping passing us. On the left."

"Funny. What, I can't spend some quality time with my best mate?" James grinned, slinging a brotherly arm around Sirius' shoulder.

Sirius didn't look convinced. "You're up to something. You're always up to something." They were back in front of Quality Quidditch Supplies, for the third time. Suddenly, Sirius' eyes lit up with understanding. "Oh, wait, I see now."

"You do?" James asked in surprise. That was amazing, as even James didn't know what Remus had planned.

"Yeah. I see what you're trying to do." He pointed at the Shooting Star. "You're trying to drop hints about a Christmas present. Sorry, Potter, but I'm done shopping and you're not getting anything from here." He turned back to the window. "Although I've been thinking about getting a new broom."

A pair of familiar arms encircled his waist. "Now why would you want to do that?" Remus said into his ear. "I'm rather fond of your broomstick." He tugged at Sirius' belt, just in case he'd missed the double meaning. Sirius growled playfully at his partner.

"Do you think you two could get a room?" James said. Lily was standing beside him, her arm linked in his.

"You're one to talk. You two seem to be behaving yourselves today," Sirius pointed out.

"We have to behave at my parents' house, so we're practicing being good," Lily said, giving James a kiss on the cheek. "Speaking of which, they're expecting us." She let go of James briefly, stepping forward to embrace Sirius, who had disentangled himself from Remus. "Happy Christmas, Sirius."

"You too, Lily," he smiled fondly at her. She hugged Remus as well, and Sirius could have sworn he heard her whisper, "Good luck." He was equally sure he heard Remus reply, "Thanks for your help." Lily took James' hand and they Disapparated.

Sirius turned to Remus. "Well, it's getting late. We should, we should probably get going."

"Yes, we should." Remus tried to keep the giddy note out of his voice. If you only knew, he thought. "To be with the people we love."

"Yeah," Sirius said flatly. "Happy Christmas, love." He hugged Remus, trying to convey his love through that hug.

"And you, love," Remus whispered in his ear. Their lips met very briefly before they separated. "Hey, why don't you come by tomorrow? My mum makes a great treacle pudding, and I'm sure there'll be some left."

"Yeah, I'd like that. See you later." Sirius Disapparated.

Instantly, he found himself on his front step. Or was it his front step? It couldn't be his house. There was a fresh wreath on the door. A quick look around confirmed that it was definitely his house. But where had the wreath come from? He turned to survey the lawn again.

A figure had just Apparated. A thin man with shoulder-length ash-blonde hair, in a navy blue cloak that had seen better days. "Remus?" Sirius whispered.

"Of course." Remus strode up the front walk. "I said I was going to spend Christmas with the people I love. That's you."

"But your family?" Sirius was too surprised to think of anything else to say.

"They can wait. I know about the fight you had with your father. And I can't let you spend tomorrow by yourself. It's not right to be alone on Christmas. Are you going to stand there gaping, or are you going to invite me in?"

"G-golden knight." The door swung open. He turned to face Remus, who was now eye to eye with him. Without another word, he grabbed him hard and kissed him. "Gods I love you."

"I know," Remus murmured. "After you, Mr. Black."

Sirius stepped into the entryway and gasped. The bannister leading upstairs had been wrapped in evergreen garlands. Red bows were tied on every third railing. Another wreath, this one sprayed gold and silver, hung on the upstairs landing. There were candles lit everywhere, bathing the whole room in a soft glow. Everything smelled sweet, like cinnamon. "How?"

"Lily helped me."

So, he'd been right that something was going on. "It's wonderful."

"Come on." Remus took his hand and led him into the parlor, to see the tree.

"Oh, Remus," Sirius gasped. The look of shocked surprise on Sirius face as he stood in front of the Christmas tree was all the reward that Remus needed. He had to admit that he and Lily had outdone themselves. Being somewhat short of funds, he had opted for simplicity over splashy. The ornaments that hung from the tree were ordinary coloured spheres, in softly frosted shades of green, gold, red, purple, silver and blue. The silver star at the top of the tree glowed gently with its own light. The garlands were made from holly berries, some left their natural red shade, but others painted silver. He had started trying to string them together by hand, but after the third time pricking his finger with the needle, Lily had done a charm that shot the needle neatly through all the berries. The spell had even tied the line together neatly at the ends, so the berries wouldn't slip off.

"Watch this. Ad astra." The tree began to twinkle softly, as if it were brushed with silver and gold glitter. "Stardust," Remus explained.

"It's...you did all this for me?"

Remus kissed him softly in answer.

#

There had been some cold chicken left over from yesterday's supper, so they had that for dinner, along with most of a bottle of mead that Remus had bought in Diagon Alley. He'd also bought a bottle of Rassilon's Red, but he was going to save that for tomorrow. Sirius lit a fire in the living room fireplace, and he and Remus snuggled on the sofa, a white comforter wrapped around them. The rest of the mead and a plate of Christmas biscuits were on the table in front of them. "I knew there was something going on," Sirius said for the tenth time that evening.

"We never could keep anything from you," Remus laughed, cuddling closer.

"Thank you." Sirius kissed Remus on the forehead. He then kissed him on both cheeks before moving to his lips. The kiss deepened as their hands began to explore each other. Sirius moved slightly

and promptly tumbled to the floor, pulling Remus down on top of him, both of them missing the table by centimeters. "Ouch. Sorry, Moony." He grinned up at Remus awkwardly. "I think we'll need to find someplace"

"More accommodating," Remus finished. Sirius took his hand, and Remus allowed himself to be led into Sirius' parents' bedroom.

"I've only got a small bed," Sirius whispered into his lover's ear, slipping his hands under Remus' jumper. "This one has plenty of room to play." Gently, he pushed him onto the bed. "Stay here. I'm going to go get your present."

"Sirius, it's not Christmas Day yet!" Remus called after him. He slipped out of his shoes and socks and let himself get comfortable.

"Technicality," Sirius called back. "'Sides, in some countries, it's already tomorrow. So it's Christmas somewhere in the world, which means I can give you your present."

Sirius re-entered the room, wearing a red feather boa, poorly knotted into a bow around his neck.

And nothing else.

Remus just stared. "Where'd you, uh, get that?" he said, swallowing.

"Oh, this? James and I went to a fancy dress party as girls. You were...it was a full moon night." He smiled invitingly. "Don't you want to open your present?"

"Yes. Oh yes." Remus knelt on the edge of the bed. Sirius approached, and Remus took the two ends of the red bow and tugged it gently apart. He seized Sirius' face and kissed him hard. Quickly, Sirius helped his lover undress, and they spent the rest of the evening making love, taking pleasure in every touch and every kiss.

Finally, they were exhausted beyond more than light kisses. "So, what do you think of your gift?" Sirius asked, wrapping his arms around Remus.

"It's perfect. Just perfect." The downstairs clock chimed midnight. "Happy Christmas, my love."

"And you, my love."

#

When Sirius awoke, the cold winter sunlight was already streaming through the room. The space beside him in the bed was empty and had already cooled off. "Remus?" he asked groggily. No reply. Throwing on a pair of pajamas and some socks, he shuffled downstairs.

"only a few hours if it's small," a woman's voice was saying. "I'm not too familiar with those cooker contraptions. If you stick a fork in it and the juice runs clear, then it's done."

Sirius pushed open the kitchen door. Remus was wearing a borrowed pair of Sirius' pajamas, grey with red trim, which were slightly too big for him. He was speaking with Mrs. Lupin, whose face was hovering in the kitchen fireplace.

"And the potatoes?" Remus asked.

"Probably an hour and a half to get them nice and brown," Mrs. Lupin said. "Why are you doing all the work, dear?"

"Oh, Sirius made trifle, so I'm doing the dinner. I don't mind, Mum."

"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Lupin," Sirius said, stepping into view. "Morning, Remus."

"Sirius." Remus resisted the urge to throw himself into Sirius' arms, instead giving him a friendly smile.

"Merry Christmas to you to, Sirius." She glanced behind her. "Well, your little sisters are up, so I'd better go keep an eye on them. You will both stop in tomorrow?"

"Of course. Thank you for inviting me, Mrs. Lupin," Sirius said.

"You're welcome. Now, Remus, are you sure you two are going to be okay there?"

"Oh, we'll keep ourselves occupied," Sirius chimed in. Remus turned to look daggers at him, but Sirius continued to wear his most sincere and charming smile.

"Goodbye Mum," Remus said, waving his hand and dissolving the fire. He glared at Sirius, but slowly, the angry look began to crack, and he laughed heartily. "You, you absolute git! I thought I was going to have a heart attack when you said that. C'mere." He seized Sirius around the waist and pretended to throttle him.

"Oh, come on. You love it when I'm naughty." Sirius twined his fingers through Remus' hair.

"I love it more when you're nice." He brushed his lips against Sirius'. "And you can be nice showing me how to operate this gas cooker so I can get dinner cooked." Sirius' mother was Muggle, so their home had a cooker and an icebox.

As he was showing Remus the controls, he remembered something from the conversation with Mrs. Lupin. "What was that about a trifle?"

"Oh, there's a trifle in your icebox." He pulled open the door so Sirius could see. Sure enough, there was a trifle, with lime jelly and the strawberries that his mother must have jarred over the summer.

"You don't have to do this, you know. Make me dinner." Sirius said, closing the icebox.

"I know. But I want to. Consider it my gift to you." He pressed Sirius against the icebox and kissed him. "Now, come on. I don't have to start that for a while. Why don't we take a walk?"

The pair got dressed and went for a long walk around Bath. The sun was shining and it wasn't too windy, so there were several children playing outside, kicking around what looked to be a new football. Sirius' neighbour, Peter, was outside chopping wood, so the three of them exchanged pleasantries. He reminded Remus of an older Sirius, with the same long, dark hair and intense eyes. They said goodbye when Peter's young daughter came to fetch him for breakfast. Sirius led Remus outside the town, up a winding path to his favourite spot, Solsbury Hill. From there, they could see the whole town, the rooftops reflecting the sunlight back at them. Standing on the summit, they shared a passionate kiss, not really caring if anyone saw them.

By the time they climbed down and returned to the Blacks' house, it was after one o'clock, so Remus put the small goose in the cooker. He'd picked up a couple of crackers the night before, one of which contained a wizard chess set, so they played two games while they waited for dinner. Sirius, who was hopeless at cooking and knew it, did his part by setting the table and volunteering to clean up.

The potatoes and vegetables were cooked to perfection. The goose was a bit chewy, but edible. Remus wasn't sure if it was cooked enough, so he had left it in a bit longer. During dinner, they laughed their way through the bottle of Rassilon's Red, and another bottle of wine Sirius had put in the icebox to chill that morning. By the time they got to the pudding, they were both very red-cheeked and giddy.

"That was wonderful dinner, love," Sirius said as he scooped into the trifle. The spoon slipped a little, and a dollop of whipped cream went shooting up into Sirius' face. Remus sputtered on the wine he was sipping, little droplets flying out of his mouth. That made Sirius laugh even harder. Remus leaned over and licked the whipped cream off of Sirius' nose. The result was a two-minute snog, in which Sirius also managed to put his elbow in his own plate of trifle, leading to another fit of laughter.

"I think you've had enough wine, Sirius," Remus said, as Sirius lurched to the sink with their empty plates.

"If there's some left in the bottle, then no, I haven't." He returned to the table and attempted to sit down, but missed the chair. "Ow." Remus looked alarmed for a moment, but when Sirius began to giggle hysterically, he started in too. "Room spinning. Whee! Come on Remy, it's fun down here."

Remus sat down on the floor next to him, bringing the almost empty bottle with him. Sirius put his head on Remus' lap and took a swig from the bottle. "Okay, now I'm done." Dark mirthful eyes met with smiling hazel ones. "I've had a great day. How 'bout you?"

"Great day. There is no place I would rather be than with-hic!-you. You?"

"Oh, I can think of one place I'd rather be. With you, of course." Sirius rubbed his head against Remus' crotch. Remus bucked slightly. "Race you." He half-stumbled from the kitchen, up the stairs, and into the bedroom, Remus close on his heels.

Sirius threw himself onto his parents' bed, and Remus collapsed on top of him. He pulled his jumper off and flung it over his shoulder. He fumbled with the buttons on Sirius' flannel shirt. "Oh, sod it," Sirius said, trying to fight his way out of the shirt, the bottom half of it still buttoned. Remus roared with laughter at the sight of Sirius's dark head still stuck in the neck of his shirt. "Hey, don't laugh, help me out here!" Sirius' muffled voice said.

Still giggling, Remus lifted the shirt over his lover's head and threw it on the floor. They both reached for the other's jeans at the same time, and had trouble with the buttons. Remus got Sirius' undone first. "Need the directions, love?" he asked as Sirius still tried to pop the button.

"Sirius Black doesn't need instructions to get into someone's trousers," he said proudly. "They're broken, I think."

"I think your fingers are broken," Remus said, finally taking pity on Sirius, and undid his own fly. The jeans went into a heap on the floor, along with socks, shirts and underwear. They wrestled with one another on top of the covers, which they hadn't bothered to make that morning. Sirius finally tickled Remus into submission. While Remus was gasping for breath, Sirius dropped his head down and took Remus' erection into his mouth. He clutched at the sheets, writhing, moaning Sirius' name. Stars danced in front of his eyes and he came loudly.

"That wasn't fair. I wasn't ready for that," he said, trying to catch his breath.

"Always expect the unexpected," Sirius said, rolling over onto his stomach. In response, Remus whacked Sirius in the head with a pillow. They swatted one another with pillows, Remus landing the most blows, until they collapsed in a breathless giggling heap. Remus rested his head on Sirius' chest. They were content to lay there, breathing in synch--for the moment.

Just as Sirius was about to make a suggestion about working off dinner, he thought he heard something downstairs. "You hear that?" he asked Remus.

"No." His ear was right against Sirius' chest, so the only sound he heard was the gentle beating of his lover's heart.

"Must be the wind. Or maybe the dishes shifted." He looked down at Remus, who lifted his head up. Their mouths met in a tender kiss.

"Holy shit!" a female voice said. The two men looked up into the startled face of Sirius' older sister.

"Naomi!" Sirius gasped. The pair hastily pulled blankets around themselves. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to get the trifle Mom forgot. And to ask you if you'd reconsider and join us." The shock was starting to sink in. "What the hell are you two doing?"

"It isn't what it looks like," Sirius protested weakly. Behind him, Remus shrank away, as if attempting to melt through the bed.

"No, I think it's exactly what it looks like." Naomi looked from Sirius to Remus, then back to her brother. "What, why? Oh jeez, I can't deal with this." She turned to go.

"Naomi, wait, please." Sirius jumped up from the bed, clutching the sheet around his waist. "I don't understand it totally myself. I just know I love him. And I know Mom and Dad won't understand. Please don't tell them. I will, when I'm ready." It was a lie. Maybe someday his mother would accept him, but he knew his father would never be ready for that kind of bombshell. Naomi remained tight-lipped. "Please. If you never do anything else for me, just do this."

"Fine. But you'll have to apologize to Mom for eating the trifle. Goodbye little brother. Remus." She nodded stiffly to him in acknowledgement. He tried to sink further back into the pillows. Seconds later, she was gone.

The merriment seemed to have gone with her. Sirius sank back onto the bed and continued to stare at the open doorway where his sister had stood. Remus slid over to him and put his arms around Sirius, kissing him lightly on the shoulder. "I'm sorry," Remus said.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Sirius said firmly. "And neither do I."

"I'm just sorry that she had to spoil our day."

To Remus' surprise, Sirius laughed. "Spoil? It would take more than Naomi to spoil this day. I think this is the best Christmas I ever had. I got everything I wanted."

"Did you?" Remus asked.

"'Course. I got you, didn't I?"

END


End file.
